I was talking to Peter again the other day. You remember Peter Clough. He is the genius who knows more about computers and the internet than I am likely to learn in my lifetime.

Peter was complaining yet again about the way in which those who supply a service or try to sell goods, through the internet, actually exclude many disabled people from accessing that service.

However, what was annoying Peter most this week was the fact that disabled people were excluded not only from commercial websites, but were, in many cases, excluded from accessing the sites of those groups who purported to represent them and to have their interests at heart. He showed me a copy of a report, by the communications group Ethical Media, which claimed that nearly 60% of leading disability websites failed even basic accessibility criteria.

EM's study, entitled Disability 50 reviewed the standard of accessibility of websites run by the leading charities, comparing them to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the global and industry led standards body, the World Wide Web Consortium. The study found that 58% of websites surveyed failed to achieve the compulsory compliance level set by the WCAG, while some 92% failed to achieve the minimum advisable standard.

Ethical Media's head of digital communications, Keith Patton, says that organisations in or supporting the disability sector do not yet adequately consider web accessibility and usability as a priority in their communications strategy.

The report wasn't all bad news, however. It also cited some organisations, which were exemplary in the field of communication with disabled people. These included Ability Net, Action for Blind People, The British Council of Organisations for Disabled People (The BCODP) and the Disability Rights Commission. (I would hope that the DRC, at least, would get it right). Organisations that don't comply with the WCAG standards should take steps to put things right. The smaller ones could even contact Peter at Disability North Direct to arrange a website accessibility audit. The managing director of Ethical Media, Paul Sternberg, points out that the survey highlights the need for disability groups to lead by example. He goes on. "With the right approach and strategy there is no reason why disability groups can't integrate accessibility within their own communications."

Anyone who wishes to obtain a copy of the full Disability 50 report can contact Keith Patton on 0207 833 8825 or on the (accessible) net onkeith@ethicalmedia.com

There is another issue that I want to address this week. In the latest edition of the newspaper supplement, also called I can do that, there was an article written by me about the business case for employing disabled people. The article was entitled Employing the Disabled. I had three phone calls from readers who objected to the term the disabled as, they maintained, there is no such group. I agree. However, I have no control over the headline writers who continue to use inappropriate language when describing disabled people.